Patrick Dempsey Auditioned for a Different Doctor Before ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

The Big Picture

• Patrick Dempsey auditioned for the role of Dr. House in the popular medical drama series, House, which ultimately went to Hugh Laurie.
• Even though he was not offered the role of Dr. House, playing Derek Shepherd on Grey’s Anatomy was a turning point in Patrick Dempsey’s career.
• The characters of Dr. House and Dr. Derek Shepherd have contrasting personalities and approaches to medicine.

Out of all the TV genres out there, medical dramas have a certain hold on many people. This genre has produced plenty of interesting shows that are still being talked about — such as the iconic Grey’s Anatomy, which is still (successfully) running to this very day. One of the things that this show brought forward is the dynamic cast, and a great example of this is Patrick Dempsey. The actor has some impressive projects under his belt — this year’s holiday horror Thanksgiving being one of them — but not a lot of people may know that he auditioned for a whole other medical drama, House, before becoming everyone’s McDreamy.

Patrick Dempsey Auditioned for the Starring Role in ‘House’

House — also referred to as House, M.D. — is a popular medical drama that started its run way back in November 2004. For a quick rundown, this iconic series stars Dr. Gregory House, a very interesting and usually unorthodox character who specializes in diagnostic medicine. He is basically the heart of the show, even though House gets on the nerves of almost everyone he meets because of how he faces or approaches certain problems. House is played by English actor Hugh Laurie, who carried the show for almost a decade. But before Laurie brought House to life, Dempsey was actually vying for that very role.

According to TV Guide, Dempsey explains that he went to audition for Grey’s Anatomy first. However, after the audition, Dempsey was convinced that he wasn’t going to get the part because of how Shonda Rhimes, the showrunner of Grey’s Anatomy, looked at him. Almost immediately after, the actor auditioned for House as the titular character. Obviously, he did not get the part for the latter — Dempsey actually had a pretty tough competition over it, such as Denis Leary and Rob Morrow — but it eventually went to Laurie, who then went on to ace the said role and receive many accolades and recognition. No one can say for sure, but perhaps this casting decision was a wise one in the long run. After all, people wouldn’t be able to see Dempsey portray Derek Shepherd if he got the part in House, right?

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Was a Turning Point for Patrick Dempsey

Dempsey may not have gotten the role of Dr. House in House, but his career moving forward as a beloved character in Rhimes’ Grey’s Anatomy was certainly also a huge step towards more popularity. Of course, it is important to note that Dempsey already had a pretty successful career before playing McDreamy. Before being one of the most familiar faces in the medical drama genre, Dempsey starred in multiple films and shows. The American actor particularly leaned more on projects with a romantic theme tied to them, such as Can’t Buy Me Love (1987), In the Mood (1987), Happy Together (1989), and more. Other familiar projects include Scream 3 (2000) and Sweet Home Alabama (2002). This goes to show how long of a filmography Dempsey already had before Grey’s Anatomy. However, by playing Derek Shepherd, he managed to somehow kickstart his career yet again, slowly becoming a household name once more.

After not landing the role in House, Dempsey said that he got a call to read with a certain actress who would be the lead in Grey’s Anatomy, who turned out to be Ellen Pompeo. They got along right away, and the rest is history. Throughout the years, Dempsey continued to play Derek Shepherd, who later earned the nickname McDreamy for, well, his looks and intelligence. Many people, much like Meredith Grey (Pompeo), fell in love with the resident McDreamy. And because of this character’s popularity, thanks to the actor playing him, it shows that maybe Dempsey not getting the role in House was fate, that his being cast in another medical drama TV show was better for everyone. It turns out that Dempsey need not be this maverick of a doctor — he just needs to be the kind of doctor who is incredibly charming, empathetic, and passionate. These two doctors are the complete opposites of one another, and while it is absolutely interesting to imagine Dempsey playing Dr. House, the one that the people got in the end is pretty amazing already.

The Difference Between Dr. House and Dr. Derek Shepherd

Hugh Laurie did a fantastic job as Dr. House, and it is simply hard to imagine this character being played by anyone else, even Dempsey. As many would know, Dr. House is a rather unconventional yet astonishingly intelligent and quick-witted medical professional. He takes on the role of Head of Diagnostic Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital or PPTH situated in New Jersey. He is more or less one of the most straightforward and blunt doctors in TV medical drama history and is known to be a narcissist and curmudgeon. No matter the age of the patient, he will tell them what they need to hear without any second thought. A lot of people deem Dr. House as a pretty annoying person who likes to see others sweat or be scared, but there are those who find his personality rather unique and alluring. He’s a standout from all the fictional doctors out there, that’s for sure, and Laurie surely did a magnificent job. It wouldn’t be the same if he weren’t the one to take on this role.

On the other hand, we have Dr. Derek Shepherd, who couldn’t be any more different than Dr. House in terms of personality and approach. Derek is the Chief of Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and is known to be much gentler towards his patients and colleagues. He often takes on difficult cases that his fellow doctors couldn’t do — thus earning him an even more respectable standing. But apart from being a great doctor, people also get to see his personal life, especially his relationship with Meredith Grey. Sure, Derek is not the perfect person (there are many questionable things he has done), but he does try his best to be one. While Derek may not be as “challenging” to play as Dr. House, it’s no surprise that Dempsey played him incredibly and remarkably. People loved him as Derek, and he just oozed charisma throughout, so much so that he was recognized for this role in many awarding bodies, such as the Golden Globes.

All in all, Dempsey was the perfect Derek Shepherd — there isn’t anyone else who would play it as smoothly (and maybe even dashingly) as he did. Now, it’s weird just imagining a world where he’s Dr. House because people now know him as McDreamy, understandably so.

Grey’s Anatomy is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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